Writing Update: Perseverance and Confidence Edition

The sixth volume of The Orin Chronicles was released today after a one month delay due to injury. The Library Complex got a rejection from Compulsion Reads. I don’t have the money to continue to attend my University. And I’ve been publishing for 11 months and I don’t have steady sales.

So I’m going to do something about this. All of it. I’m not going to stop writing and editing and publishing. I’m not going to give up on furthering my education because I can’t go back to the University I want to go to. I’m going to persevere and I’m going to succeed because I have confidence in myself and that’s what today’s post is all about. I may not have the most experience when it comes to these issues, but there are certain key things I know that we all forget sometimes that are important to remember.

My writing has never been praised as being fantastic, in fact I’ve only ever gotten 2 reviews. One of them I disagree with, but the other is a 3 star review for The Library Complex. When I saw that… I was incredibly happy. Because it showed me that someone got some enjoyment out of my book even if they didn’t understand it. I’ve always been afraid of my books being off-putting because of the plot or the style they are written in, but at the same time I have confidence that there are many people who can enjoy them.

So where does that confidence come from? If I have these doubts it’s a little strange that I can type with such confidence right now and say that those doubts aren’t major concerns. It’s because I’ve read my own works. After they’ve finished I’ve read them and enjoyed them no matter how much I doubted it. And if I can enjoy them, then why can’t someone else? I don’t like them because they’re mine. Often times I forget about the really special moments that I’ve written; the moments that are purely emotional and not necessarily related to character or plot development. I’m surprised by the beauty of some of the things I’ve written and the concepts I’ve explored so I don’t enjoy my books because it’s what I’ve written. I enjoy them because they can be enjoyed.

Sales will come. I’ll continue to work on that and marketing and all those other things, but sales and reviews will come. I’m certain of it because I don’t release bad products. I’m sure I won’t reach an audience of millions, but I’m not asking for that right now. I know there are flaws in my books right now, but one day when I feel I’ve fixed every potential flaw… then I will demand that type of an audience because that’s what my book deserves. But right now, even though there aren’t many sales, I know my books still have the potential to sell a realistic amount of thousands and I’m happy with that.

This is what allows me to persevere: the knowledge that I’m not trying to do something impossible. So I’ll continue to market and sell and write and edit and publish and commission really awesome logos. And everything will be alright because I’m not sitting back. I’m being active in the life I want, I have realistic confidence in what I do, and I will continue to be an author so long as it is what I want and not for any other reason.